If you’ve seen the Tor logo before, you’ve noticed that the “O” is a cartoon onion. An Overview of Tor browsersįor this section, let’s dive in more about Tor, which you may not know much about. In other words, VPNs act as a third party to protect your outgoing information from the unsecured parts of the Internet, and to bypass censorship firewalls from compromising your Internet experience. VPN clients connect you to a server location, creating a secure and virtual tunnel that encrypts your data using end-to-end technology that the rest of the Internet cannot peek in on, or otherwise hack into. To quote Edward Snowden, “Saying you don’t need privacy because you have nothing to hide is like saying you don’t need freedom of speech because you have nothing to say.” That makes sense, right? An Overview of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) Despite the alarmist media coverage you may hear about anonymous online activity, most of it is as harmless as standard web browsing. Our data is, after all, our property-so, why can’t we have a say as to who sees it or how it gets used?įor example, the respected nonprofit digital rights agency, The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) advocates the use of VPNs and Tor networks, because they are tools to help protect employment rights, civil liberties, and free expression. They are helpful for anyone who simply wishes to retain their privacy and have a say over their personal data. Tor and VPN technology protects journalists and activists, defenders of human rights, political dissidents, or victims of sensitive crimes like stalking or even domestic abuse- where anonymity is a matter of real-life safety.īut Tor browsers and VPNs are also powerful and often necessary tools for the more casual, everyday Internet user. Why Use Tor, VPN, or Other Secure Services?

Using tor vs vpn